Wednesday, June 20, 2012

It
seemed a natural progression from my earlier matchbook paintings featuring
restaurants and clubs, which were prompted by my husband's extensive matchbook
collection. In searching for historic matchbooks, I found that there
existed a wonderful array of matchbooks featuring cats and dogs. As a pet lover
myself, I was sure there would be a universal interest in this new genre.
My belief has been supported by the comments from pet lovers among my
friends and family.

What are
the unique challenges for you in undertaking this series?

The
current series is more pictorial as opposed to a location-graphic scheme in
which the printed name is the most important point of reference. I really
had to concentrate on the depicted imagery. Some matchbooks feature animals
rendered in a cartoonish style, while others were photographs. Recreating and
integrating the broad range of advertising styles, products, and breeds, proved
to be a challenging and fascinating undertaking. For example, I found that
black cats were the most frequently featured cat in the names and logos of
restaurants and bars. There is the
famous Black Cat Cafe in San Francisco and Little Next Door French brasserie in
Los Angeles. Contrasting the other colors and designs against the black cats,
and even text fonts, to form eye-catching patterns proved to tricky at times.

Grace Swanson

Canine
Combustibles

watercolor

30 x 37 inches

How is
the process different for you than creating your restaurant and hotel matchbook
paintings? Can you describe it?

The
greatest challenge was to find the actual matchbooks. Unlike the city-oriented matchbooks that
reflected more of my own personal dining and traveling experiences, cats and
dogs really narrowed my choices to just a few from Southern California. I
joined two matchbook collecting clubs and they, along with EBay, have provided
auction and trading opportunities to find the perfect matchbooks. Even better, is that many friends have begun gathering
matchbooks for me or to add to my collection.

What
would you like viewers to take away from the experience of seeing your work?

Pet
lovers will find themselves engrossed in locating their favorite breeds and
viewing the range of products and locales advertisers have showcased through
matchbooks. Some will recognize
well-known restaurants such as the Ells Quarter Gats in Barcelona or Le Chat
Noir in Paris. Others will take pleasure in nostalgic memories of the motorized
Coppertone billboards or the time travelling Mr. Peabody and his pet boy Sherman cartoons. Overall, I hope the viewers enjoy my effort to merge the kitsch and graphic nature of advertising with the nostalgia of pop culture.

Suki Kuss’ “Breathing Room” showcases her latest work, an ever expanding search for balance and space. This search has resulted in her new series of heavily layered pieces, integrated with vintage fabrics, lace, reflective materials, threads and sheet music. Each work has intensely layered areas combined with large plains of peaceful space, giving the viewer a “restful place to breathe”. Her work has often been referred to as femmage, a conflation of feminine arts and painting. Sand Brim from the Altered Space Gallery has stated that Kuss’ “work is intricate, emotional and transcendental.” The exhibit is dedicated to the memory of Franklyn Liegal, her longtime teacher and dear friend.

Cheryl Medow

Great Blue Heron With Chicks

Digital pigment print, 28 x 23 1/2

Cheryl Medow

In the Company of Birds

In Cheryl Medow's most recent show, In The Company Of Birds,viewers may be puzzled as to whether they are looking at paintings or photographs. To achieve this effect, in the digital darkroom, Medow interlocks layers of her photographic images of birds, landscapes and flora to provide a dreamy sense of place for her avian subjects. These montages are further integrated with bits of relevant ephemera such as maps, old envelopes, and bird tracks. Medow’s final images raise comparisons to works by early 19th century naturalist paintings and have been referred to as a “hyper-real Audubon.”

In her new exhibit, Illuminating Cats and Dogs, Grace Swanson merges the world of matchbook advertising with cat and dog themes celebrated in pop culture. The evocation of nostalgia through the use of matchbooks is a recurring subject for Swanson, who describes her matchbook series as cultural "memory-quilts." Her new work delves further into the world of matchbook collecting, known as phillumeny, by examining cat and dog-themed matchbooks from restaurants, television shows, businesses, and even the military. Swanson emphasizes the bold, graphic nature of advertising by merging the labor-intensive rendering of Realism with the kitsch and bright colors of Pop Art.

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